The Effects of Pregnancy
by Kristen3
Summary: Roz comes to the aid of a very stressed and overwhelmed Daphne. The change in Daphne's mood and outlook improves her life, and her relationship with Niles. One-shot. Rating is for innuendo.


Roz knocked on the door of the apartment. When she'd heard the panic in her now-pregnant best friend's voice, she knew she had to do something. The door was opened immediately, and before Roz could say a word, Daphne had pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you for coming over here at such short notice. I hope you didn't have any trouble finding a sitter for Alice!"

Roz pulled out of the embrace, looking at her friend in confusion. "Sitter? Daphne, it's the middle of the afternoon. She's in school." Only then did she notice Daphne's appearance. She was wearing what appeared to be a very old pair of sweats, and it was clear that she'd been crying. That only confirmed Roz's thought. Daphne was in desperate need of some "girl time." "Get dressed," she ordered.

"Oh, I don't know about that. Hardly anything fits me anymore. And I haven't been over to Martin's to do his therapy. Can't we do this some other time?"

"First of all, I know for a fact you have almost an entire closet of maternity clothes. I should know, I gave you most of them! And secondly, Martin will _not_ mind a day off. You're way too stressed out, and as your best friend, it's my job to get you to relax!"

Daphne felt a rush of love for Roz. Though she had a reputation for being somewhat wild and irresponsible, she always managed to be there whenever a friend needed her. All at once, tears began to fill Daphne's eyes. "Oh, Roz, you're such a wonderful friend."

"Oh, God, you're not going to do this all day, are you?" Roz asked as she took a Kleenex from her purse. She remembered her own pregnancy, and how merely hearing a caller's problem could leave her sobbing in the booth.

Daphne protested a few more times about going out, but Roz stuck to her guns. She managed to help her friend pick an outfit, and then they both got into Roz's car. Ordinarily, a trip to Nervosa would be in order. An hour or so of conversation over coffee usually did the trick when one of them had a problem. But this was clearly bigger than that. The weight-gain was causing Daphne to have flashbacks of the pounds she'd put on shortly after she and Niles first got together. Despite the fact that _this_ was caused by a baby, Daphne's self-esteem had taken a nosedive.

But Roz knew what to do. Working at one of Seattle's hottest radio stations had a few perks. One of them being that a health spa just happened to be a huge sponsor. It wasn't hard for Roz to pull strings and get them both appointments for facials at the last minute. "Here we are," Roz said as they parked in front of the building.

Daphne gasped when she saw the sign. "This place looks exclusive. Do you think they'll let us in?"

Roz gave her friend a 'look.' "Haven't you been listening to the station? We've been playing their ads for a month now! Frasier and Niles aren't the only ones with connections, you know!"

At this, Daphne couldn't help smiling. It was so like Roz to do this. "Thank you." She pulled Roz into a hug once again.

"Please," Roz said dismissively. "You'd do the same if it was me!"

A couple of hours later, Daphne felt like a new woman. Just being able to get away and forget about everything she had to do left her feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. After the spa, Roz stopped at Nervosa so they could talk for a while before heading home.

"Thanks again for doing this, Roz. I feel so much better. I have to admit I haven't been very nice to Niles lately. But all of this waiting for the baby to be born, not to mention watching meself get larger and larger, has just been driving me out of me mind!"

"I'm pretty sure Niles will forgive you," Roz said with a grin. "He always does."

Daphne nodded. "He's such a sweet man. I don't know what I've done to deserve him." Her eyes filled with tears. Roz said nothing, merely handing over yet another Kleenex. Daphne blew her nose loudly. Just then, she caught sight of her watch. "Oh, God, it's almost time for Niles to come home from work. If I'm not there to greet him, what will he think?"

"That you're out running errands or something?" Roz asked with a shrug. Before she could say anything else, Daphne had turned around and begun to leave the cafe. Roz barely had time to throw some money on the table to cover their drinks. "Geez, Daphne, if you wanted to get home so bad, you could've at least told me!"

When they reached the Montana's parking area, Daphne gave Roz yet another hug. "Oh, thank you, Roz. I promise I'll find some way to make this up to you!"

"I don't think I'm the person you need to be making up with right now." Once again, Roz gave a sly grin.

Daphne rolled her eyes at her friend before finally going inside. She made her way upstairs and took out her key to open the apartment door. When she opened it, she saw Niles standing in the living room, the telephone in his hand.

"Thank God," Niles said, feeling a rush of relief. "I just got off the phone with Dad. I thought maybe his therapy had run late, but he said you called and canceled. I started to worry that something happened to the baby!"

"Oh, darling, I'm so sorry!" Daphne embraced him tightly. "Not just for today, but for everything. I know I've been just awful. I hope after the baby's born, he doesn't hate me!"

Niles hardly knew what to do as his wife cried on his shoulder. "Sh," he whispered soothingly. "Our child isn't going to hate you. You're going to be an amazing mother. And as for your moods lately, I know all too well about the way pregnancy hormones can affect a woman. Not only did Frasier tell me in detail about how it was with Lilith, but I've also heard similar stories from my own patients. And even if that weren't true, I love you completely, no matter what."

Daphne kissed him then. She knew she'd interrupted him, but she didn't care. He loved her far more than she could ever possibly deserve. "Oh, Niles," she managed to whisper between kisses.

Niles pulled her even closer. He didn't care that she was a bit harder to hold than usual. After all, the cause was the most beautiful thing in the world: their child. The thought that he was going to be a father very soon was still a bit of a surprise. It wasn't so long ago that Niles wouldn't have had the chance to get anywhere near a woman who'd want children. Mel was much too career-minded to even consider having a family. And Maris, well, even if she'd been willing, there wouldn't have been any chance of her carrying a baby. Somehow, experiencing this with Daphne, the love of his life, made the whole thing that much better. When the need for oxygen forced them apart, Niles looked into her eyes. "My love...I know that carrying a baby is exhausting, and if I could, I would find some way to share the load. This miracle inside you is partly mine, you know." He placed a hand on her stomach. "Since I can't, why don't we go upstairs, and I'll see if I can find a way to...relax you."

A deep sigh escaped from Daphne. "Yes, that would be lovely." She watched as his eyes traveled up and down her body. She could tell that he didn't think any less of her for the extra pounds. In fact, the way he was eying her curves, Daphne felt downright beautiful. It made her love him more, although she wasn't sure how that was possible. Slowly, they made their way upstairs.

They stopped just outside their bedroom door. Niles took a moment to caress her cheek. "I love you so much."

Overcome with emotion, Daphne merely smiled in response. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this way.

Niles noticed the change in her expression. "By the way, where were you just now?"

Daphne kissed him quickly. "Roz kidnapped me and took me to a spa. She said I needed to get out of the house."

"Ah," Niles replied, understanding. "Well, remind me to thank her." With a grin, he opened the door and led her inside.

**The End**


End file.
